Bloomberg reports that Airbus “delivered 58 jets in November, setting up a busy final month of 2021 as the company aims to ship 600 aircraft this year.” Full Story (Bloomberg)

MEDIA ALERT   December 7, 2021 – Reston, Va. – Registration is open for journalists around the world to attend the 2022 AIAA SciTech Forum in San Diego, the world’s largest event for aerospace research, development, and technology. Every year, this is the place where the industry gathers; the event sets the tone for the year. Press pass options

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 7, 2021 – Reston, Va. – The ASCEND Diverse Dozen are sharing their timely views in a collection of op-eds on the most important, salient issues surrounding safety, security, and sustainability in the context of space traffic. Led by Moriba Jah from the University of Texas at Austin, the Diverse Dozen

Spaceflight Now reports that after a delay due to high winds, ULA successfully launched an Atlas 5 rocket carrying the STP-3 mission Tuesday morning. WESH-TV Orlando, FL reports that the main spacecraft “houses an experiment designed to more accurately detect nuclear detonations on Earth,” and will also deploy “two satellites with new technology that have never been deployed

Aviation Week reports that the US Air Force “has cleared the KC-46 to refuel five more aircraft types as part of a rollout of interim capabilities before the tanker is fully operational. U.S. Transportation Command can now task the KC-46 to refuel AC-130Js, HC-130Js, MC-130Js, C-5Ms and E-3Gs.” Full Story (Aviation Week)

CNBC reported that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced Friday that SpaceX has started construction on a Starship launchpad on Florida’s Space Coast. Full Story (CNBC)

CNBC reported that Amazon’s leasing of long-haul cargo airplanes is “helping it avoid the long wait times for available dock space and workers at the country’s busiest ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles.” Amazon is “avoiding ports altogether by reportedly leasing at least ten long-haul planes that can get smaller amounts of cargo directly from

CBS News reports that a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket “boosted 48 more Starlink internet relay satellites into orbit Thursday, along with two BlackSky commercial Earth-imaging satellites.” Thursday’s flight, the 27th Falcon 9 launch this year, marked a new record for SpaceX. Full Story (CBS News)

Aviation Today reports that Volocopter “announced a new joint venture company this week with NEOM, an enterprise that is developing a ‘smart city’ on the coast of Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea.” The joint venture company “was formed to design and operate what could be the world’s first customized public vertical mobility system.” Full Story (Aviation Today)

SPACE reports that NASA astronauts Thomas Marshburn and Kayla Barron “will conduct a spacewalk previously scheduled for Tuesday (Nov. 30) on Thursday (Dec. 2) after the agency evaluated the risks posed by space debris.” NASA officials wrote, “NASA determined the orbit of the debris does not pose a risk to a scheduled spacewalk by Thomas Marshburn

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 2, 2021 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Executive Director Dan Dumbacher made the following statement on the Biden Administration’s inaugural meeting of the National Space Council: “As the world’s largest aerospace technical society representing 30,000 aerospace professionals, AIAA appreciates the Biden Administration’s commitment to

The AP reports that the Civil Aviation Administration of China “cleared the Boeing 737 Max on Thursday to return to flying with technical upgrades more than two years after the plane was grounded worldwide following two fatal crashes.” China was the final large market to approve the return of the Boeing 737 Max. Full Story (Associated

Bloomberg reports that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk “on Tuesday said that a potential bankruptcy at the company in the event of a severe global recession would be ‘unlikely,’ but not impossible.” Full Story (Bloomberg)

FlightGlobal reports that Airbus Helicopters “will offer H145 light-twins in future with manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) capability following a successful trial of the technology.” Aviation Week reports Airbus Helicopters “is offering its manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) kit for international sale as live testing enters its second phase.” Full Story (FlightGlobal); More Info (Aviation Week)

The Hill reports that France “is set to begin testing electric air taxis in the coming months, with the goal of launching them in time for the 2024 Summer Olympics.” The flying taxis “will be tested at a hub outside Paris at Pontoise” in the hopes of establishing two flight paths to the 2024 Olympics from

The Orlando (FL) Sentinel reports that NASA and the US Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory “put out a request for proposals for a fission surface power system” on November 19. NASA and the Idaho National Laboratory are planning “to establish a sun-independent power source for missions to the moon by the end of the decade.” Full

Aviation International News reported that the Gripen E “has now entered the delivery phase.” Six serial production aircraft “have left the factory and are now being prepared and tested prior to delivery to the aircraft’s two customers.” Four of the Gripen E aircraft are to be sent to the Força Aérea Brasileira, and the remaining two

The Miami Herald reported that the Solar Orbiter space probe “had a brief encounter with its home planet on Saturday morning when it circled the Earth for the first and last time while executing a gravity assist to slow itself down before setting off for the Sun.” Full Story (Miami Herald)

On its website, Good Morning America reports that “Good Morning America” co-host and former NFL defensive lineman Michael Strahan “will fly to space on Blue Origin’s next space flight.” The AP reports that Strahan “will join Laura Shepard Churchley, the eldest daughter of astronaut Alan Shepard, on the Dec. 9 mission aboard the New Shepard, a spacecraft

Aviation International News reports that Textron Aviation’s Beechcraft Denali turboprop aircraft “lifted off on its first flight this morning from Wichita Eisenhower National Airport on a flight over central and southern Kansas that lasted 2 hours and 50 minutes.” The Denali “reached an altitude of 15,600 feet and a top speed of 180 knots.” Full Story

SPACE reports that NASA officials announced Monday that the Hubble Space Telescope’s Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) was reactivated on Sunday. The WFC3 “is scheduled to resume science observations on Tuesday.” Full Story (SPACE)

FlightGlobal reports that the US Air Force “awarded Northrop Grumman a contract to upgrade the RQ-4B Global Hawk unmanned air vehicle (UAV) with ‘dynamic’ in-flight rerouting software.” Northrop Grumman said Monday that the software upgrade for the Global Hawk would be ready for service by 2023. Full Story (FlightGlobal)

The AP reported that NASA and the US Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory “put out a request for proposals for a fission surface power system” to be deployed on the moon. Fission Surface Power Project lead Sebastian Corbisiero said, “Providing a reliable, high-power system on the moon is a vital next step in human space

CNN reported that Rolls-Royce has said it has developed the “world’s fastest all-electric aircraft.” The “Spirit of Innovation” aircraft reportedly “attained a maximum speed of 387.4 mph (623km/h) in flight.” The aircraft “flew 300 mph over 9.32 miles in Wiltshire at the UK Ministry of Defence’s military aircraft testing site, which is 182 mph quicker

Aviation Week reports that Lockheed Martin “has completed final assembly of the X-59 Low Boom Supersonic Demonstrator in Palmdale, California, and is preparing to ship the experimental aircraft to Fort Worth for structural testing.” Full Story (Aviation Week)

Spaceflight Now reports that Rocket Lab “launched two small BlackSky optical Earth-imaging satellites Wednesday from New Zealand, the first of three straight Electron rocket flights for the U.S. remote sensing company.” For the third time, Rocket Lab was able to retrieve “the launch vehicle’s first stage booster.” Full Story (Spaceflight Now)

Aerospace America reports that the answer to whether “enough research and space tourism dollars will flow through the market to keep more than one” private space station has not yet been reached. While Axiom Space believes it has a strong case for a profitable private space station, Axiom Space Senior Vice President for Government Affairs Mary

The Daily Mail (UK) reports that the Royal Air Force “has set a new Guinness World Record after completing the first ever flight using a fully synthetic aircraft fuel.” The flight “took place on November 2, with Group Captain Peter Hackett taking an Ikarus C42 aircraft on a short flight around Cotswold Airport near Cirencester, Gloucestershire.” The

Aviation Week reports that three African carriers “announced orders for new aircraft at Dubai Airshow on Tuesday, demonstrating confidence in the region’s potential for air-traffic growth.” Air Tanzania “announced an order for one Boeing 787-7, one 767-300F and two 737 MAXs”; Ibom Air ordered 10 A220s; and AfriJet ordered three ATR 72-600s. Full Story (Aviation Week)

The Washington Post reports that the International Space Station “faced a menacing threat” Monday from “thousands of pieces of debris, scattered when Russia fired a missile that destroyed a dead satellite.” Mission control in Houston “had to wake the astronauts to inform them that they needed to evacuate the Space Station and take shelter inside their spacecraft.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 16, 2021 – Reston, Va., and Las Vegas – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and the ASCEND global community dedicated to building humanity’s off-world future issued the following statement: “We learned of the Russian Federation ASAT Test in the midst of the 2021 ASCEND event, where many of

Aviation Week  reported that Airbus forecasted that some “39,000 new airliners will be needed worldwide over the next 20 years.” Airbus “believes there will be demand by 2040 for around 29,700 small aircraft like the Airbus A220, A320 family or Boeing 737 MAX, and for about 5,300 medium-sized aircraft like the Airbus A321XLR, A330neo or

KTNV-TV Las Vegas reports that 2021 ASCEND is focusing on making space flight available to all. Emcee Kari Byron “hosted a panel on citizen astronauts and believes they are pioneers in what’s possible in space.” AIAA Executive Director Dan Dumbacher said, “Where we are today with space is similar to where the commercial airline industry was

Aviation International News reports that The Boeing Company displayed its new 777X at the Dubai Airshow Sunday. The 777-9, “the larger of the two planned 777X variants, landed on November 9 at Dubai World Central following a 15-hour nonstop journey from Seattle’s Boeing Field.” The trip was the 777X’s first international flight “and the longest to

The AP reported that Space X “expanded its constellation of low Earth orbit satellites on Saturday with the launch of 53 Starlink satellites from Florida.” The satellites were deployed via a Falcon 9 rocket launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 7:19 a.m. EST. Full Story (Associated Press)

November 13, 2021 – Reston, Va. – ASCEND, the interdisciplinary community on the planet dedicated to building humanity’s off-world future faster, mourns the passing of Citizen Astronaut Glen de Vries. ASCEND is powered by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). AIAA Executive Director Dan Dumbacher made the following statement: “We are shocked and

Space News reports that Astroscale “signed an agreement with the government of New Zealand Nov. 10 to study advanced concepts for orbital debris removal.” The agreement “broadly covers cooperation on space safety and sustainability, with an initial project examining approaches for a single servicing spacecraft to remove up to three debris objects on a single

CNBC reports, “Cutting-edge technologies and geopolitics are set to feature in military deals at this year’s Dubai Air Show. And some weapons sales – or lack thereof – are major sticking points for both the U.S. and its Gulf allies, in particular the United Arab Emirates. Fighter jet fleet upgrades and new counter-UAS (unmanned aerial

The New York Times reports that the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday “was forced to maneuver itself to avoid a piece of debris spawned by a Chinese antisatellite weapon test in 2007.” NASA and Roscosmos worked together to fire the ISS’ thrusters, raising its altitude by nearly a mile. Full Story (New York Times)

The National Interest reports on the continued development of Lockheed Martin’s SR-72 uncrewed hypersonic aircraft. Referring to a digital rendering that had been presented at 2018 AIAA SciTech Forum, Lockheed Martin Vice President Jack O’Banion said, “Without the digital transformation[,] the aircraft you see there could not have been made. In fact, five years ago, it could

Space News reports that the US government’s orbital debris R&D plan is to be updated by “an interagency group within the National Science and Technology Council that deals with national security and space issues.” However, former SpaceX Vice President of Government Affairs Patricia Cooper said at 2021 ASCEND that “there are internal disagreements in the US government

CNET News reports that NASA’s Parker Solar Probe is being bombarded by space dust “at such speed that its body is constantly experiencing plasma explosions.” A team of scientists “at the University of Colorado, Boulder’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) and the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory studied the severity of these impacts,”

Bloomberg reports that General Electric is to split up into three separate companies, each “focused on health care, power and aviation.” The healthcare division “will be spun off in early 2023.” GE’s “renewable energy, power equipment and digital businesses” will be combined into a separate unit “that will then be spun off in 2024.” The remaining

The AP reports that high wind “off the Florida coast has prompted SpaceX to delay the return of four space station astronauts in orbit since spring.” Due to the weather, Space X has rescheduled the departure from the International Space Station to Monday afternoon, “with a nighttime return to conclude their six-month mission.” Full Story (Associated

The Daily Mail (UK) reported that an X-61 Gremlin Air Vehicle, “an unmanned reconnaissance vehicle developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), has been recovered while in mid-flight for the first time, DARPA announced Friday.” In the demonstration was held last month, “two of the drones performed autonomous formation flying positions before one GAV

The AP reports NASA officials announced Monday that a “medical issue has sidelined one of four astronauts assigned to SpaceX’s upcoming flight to the International Space Station and delayed the launch.” The launch has been delayed until Saturday night at the earliest. The unnamed astronaut is affected by a “minor medical issue” unrelated to COVID-19 Full Story

Aviation Week reports that a second Boeing Airpower Teaming System (ATS), “better known as the Loyal Wingman, has commenced flight tests at Australia’s Woomera Range Complex, including the raising and lower of the undercarriage.” Both UAVs “are performing separate flight tests.” Full Story (Aviation Week)

FlightGlobal reports that Safran Chief Executive Olivier Andries warned last week that the industry’s supply chain has been weakened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Andries noted “concerns about human resources” and “tensions in raw material availability” as notable factors. The Boeing Company Chief Executive David Calhoun said, “By the second half of next year, our industry

USA Today reports that scientists “have discovered evidence of water in a galaxy roughly 12.8 billion light-years from Earth, making it one of the most distant discoveries of water in the universe.” The galaxy, SPT-311-58, was discovered in 2017 by researchers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array in Chile. The scientists from the University of Illinois

Aviation International News reports that Embraer Executive Jets CEO and President Michael Amalfitano described at Corporate Jet Investor Miami 2021 how the increase in first-time business aviation users is changing the aircraft industry’s dynamics. Amalfitano said, “When you look at that growth at the bottom, the access is growing. You have to start thinking about what